Chocolate Fudge Brownies

My friend, who is a chef in Napa Valley, is incredible when it comes to his homemade pasta dishes and tiramisu recipes. I was shocked when he called me the other day and asked for for a traditional brownie recipe. The first thing I told him is that I am sure that whatever he came up with would be amazing. I am sure he knows that as well, but he insisted I share with him whatever I had since my sister raved about them. I have not made traditional brownies in some time. If you have followed my blog you will know that I have posted all sorts of brownies such as Blondies, Lemon Brownies, Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Peanut Brownies, Fudgey Chocolate Cherry Cake Brownies, and Black & White Brownies but never traditional brownies. Traditional brownies, though scrumptious as they are, are a lot like scrambled eggs. When I have guest that asks if I can do just scrambled eggs, I say of course, but we always do so much more than just scrambled eggs for breakfast. If that is what a guest wants, then that is what we will do, so I present to you the traditional brownie. I like to think of these as a refrigerator brownies. Even though it is hard not to dig into them as soon as you pull them from the oven, they are so much better once they are chilled. Dense and fudgey. Try them for yourself. Let me know what you think.

In a double boiler, add a couple of inches of water. To the top pan add butter, unsweetened chocolate. Melt chocolate and butter. Once melted remove top pot from bottom and whisk in brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk in egg, yolk and vanilla. Add flour mixture and fold in chocolate chips. Pour in 8×8 pan. Bake 30 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting, melt chocolate chips and butter. Stir in vanilla and salt. Stir in powdered sugar and then add milk a little at a time until smooth, creamy and shiny. Spread on brownies and refrigerate. Serve when firm.